Grian jolts awake with a gasp and sits up the instant his eyes open, chest rising and falling with rapid breaths as his gaze focuses on the blue bed he''s currently in.
Wait, this isn''t his bed.
His eyes dart all around him, noticing how he''s inside a giant tree of some kind. His stomach drops at the realisation as he quickly grabs the blanket with a quivering hand and shoves it to the side without hesitation, landing his feet softly on the floor to avoid making any noise.
Why is he here? There''s only one person who can make a tree this humongous and intricate, and he hates how he''s managed to sleep here despite his life hanging by a thread. He grunts and grits his teeth in pain, caressing a hand over his head that feels like it''s pinpricked by a thousand needles and slammed by a sledgehammer at the same time.
He blinks for a few seconds as his hand runs through a cloth, realising that his head has been wrapped with bandages. He observes his body from head to toe to spot that there are a lot of gauzes and bandages around them as well. The previous events flash before his eyes like a blurry slideshow, scowling at how stupid he was to fly without his secondary feathers having fully grown yet and being out of it to actually ''drive'' no less. Scar must''ve patched his injuries whilst he was out.
Why, though?
Oh, right. He wasn''t supposed to be here.
Grian hoists himself up from the bed to stand on his own feet but spreads his legs and plants his feet firmly on the smooth wooden floor, to gain balance as soon as the room spins all around him like a terrible merry-go-round. His head leans to the side at the sudden increase of weight but leans his whole body the opposite direction in order to use the wall as balance, slowly but surely making his way down the seemingly long flight of stairs whilst his body sways left to right.
It''s really difficult to keep a steady travel when his vision is blurry despite his now slightly cracked glasses as his head still hurts from the crash and the hangover. Right before he reaches the ground floor, he trips over something (must be his own foot) as his body leans forward against his will, closing his eyes tightly as he braces himself of the impact. But what feels to be an arm wraps around him by the torso, stopping his momentum halfway.
Grian opens his eyes to see none other than Mumbo K. Jumbo himself, with his signature tailored suit plus a scarf, signature mustache, and slick back hair—albeit a bit messier than the last time he saw him. The usual stretched smile his friend wears brings every burning nerve in his body at ease, finally calming himself down after so long.
"Mumbo? I-Is that—?" Grian gapes his mouth in question as his voice cracks from the lack of use.
"Y-Yeah, it''s me. Nice to, uh, see you again, dude." Mumbo chuckles as his eyes wrinkle with crow''s feet from the corners.
Mumbo escorts him with steady hands to what seems to be the kitchen, settling him down to one of the many barrels splayed messily on the floor, taking up most of the room''s space. A bowl of warm porridge has been handed to him and he gratefully accepts it, using the barrel beside him as a makeshift table and scoops a spoonful to his mouth. He hums and smiles as he swallows.
Ooh, mushroom.
Mycelium war throwback, even though Mumbo wasn''t a part of it, but it was fun spreading rumors of him being the leader of the Resistance and opposing HEP with all sorts of shenanigans, particularly the games at the end.
"There you go, Grian." Mumbo offers a tablet and a glass of water. "This should help with the headache and hangover."
Grian flinches at the final statement but shoves it aside as he accepts the medicine, swallowing it with the help of the cold water cooling his dry throat.
"H-How did you, uh, know?" Grian mumbles under his breath as he purses his lips and bows his head in shame.
"You... reeked of alcohol. I smelled it back in the shopping district, I think." Mumbo rubs the back of his head as he averts his gaze, chuckling unamusingly.
"Oh." Grian''s brows raise as he drawls. "I thought I managed to get rid of the scent there. I must''ve forgotten to do it at some point."
The silence drags between them and the room for an excruciating amount of time, sensing an invisible force pushing them down towards the floor and squishing them at the weight. But Grian doesn''t trust his mouth to let it run wild or he might break down right here, right now as he stares silently at the empty glass resting atop his legs like it''s the world''s best entertainment.
"Do you want a hug?" Mumbo blurts, causing Grian to whip his head upwards to Mumbo''s gaze with wide eyes. "Not in a weird way or anything." He waves his hands profusely in front of him as he hastily adds. "It- It just kind of looks like you, er, really needed it- the comfort and I was like ''you could really use some of it right now'', so why not—"
Grian jumps to Mumbo and embraces him tightly, interrupting his rant as he buries his face to his friend''s shoulder. He has to stand on his tiptoes awkwardly with their height differences but the comfort pays off. He can feel Mumbo''s lanky arms wrapping around him tightly as well as he crouches to make it easier for Grian.
Minutes that feel like seconds have passed and both have to leave each other''s warm hold, making it harder for Grian to hide his frown of disappointment by straining a smile in an instant before Mumbo notices.
"Grian, can I ask you something?" Mumbo averts his gaze in question, fidgeting with the cuff of his suit.
"You''re already asking, so..." Grian replies sarcastically as he raises a brow and cracks a smirk on his face.
"Wh- You!" Mumbo sputters as he slaps Grian''s shoulder with a chuckle.
"Alright, alright. The floor is yours." Grian rolls his eyes before mockingly bowing.
"Remember when you utterly refuse whenever the Hermits offer you a drink at every chance they get?" Mumbo starts, making Grian huff at the last statement. "I was wondering why you''re drinking now when you were so opposed to it before that you''d avoid it like a plague." He whirls his hands around and spreads them wide after as he muses.
"It''s nothing." Grian answers too quickly with a straight face.
Mumbo narrows his eyelids and burns through Grian''s eyes as he glares, giving him the look. Grian, of course, averts his gaze innocently to dodge the question.
"Grian..." Mumbo drawls as he leans closer whilst Grian retaliates by leaning backwards to awkwardly try and keep the distance.
He just really likes for this conversation to end now.
Please.
"I''ll call Scar if you won''t answer me."
What?
"Don''t you dare." Grian glares at Mumbo''s direction as he scrunches his nose.
Instead of giving up, Mumbo wears the widest grin he has ever expressed in his life and pounces on Grian successfully with his height advantage. He definitely didn''t yelp at the surprise and now, he''s locked inside the man''s bear hold once more—only this time against his will as he tries to wiggle away with little to no success as his face is buried to the man''s vest.
"Scar! You can come in now!" Mumbo''s chest vibrates as Grian can hear his muffled voice calling, causing Grian to flinch but doesn''t move away from the hold but embraces back instead.
Grian can hear footsteps approaching from the distance and when he peaks through Mumbo''s shoulder, he can spot Scar stepping inside the entrance with slow, hesitant steps before stopping a few distance from them. Scar''s mouth opens and closes repeatedly but no words have come out. For what seems like forever, he drags a silent sigh as his shoulders slump in defeat.
"Look, I''m really sorry for what happened before and I didn''t mean to actually harm you. It was supposed to be a fun prank for us to laugh in the end and for you to use as an excuse to get back at me, but I didn''t know that it actually went downhill and I hurt your feelings so bad that was so horrible of me so I apologise for being so stupid I''m sorry I will never do—"
Scar rambles with a wavering voice and dull emerald eyes glassy from unshed tears as he paces around the small area of the kitchen, but Grian cuts him off as he launches himself to his friend''s chest to hug him as tight but as comfortable as he can, feeling Scar''s own heaving breaths and drumming heartbeat at close proximity.
"I forgive you, Scar." Grian proffers as he buries his head further on his friend''s chest, rubbing soothing circles around Scar''s back with his hand.
Grian can hear Scar inhaling as his body shakes whilst silently crying when he returns the hug with his own, burying his head on Grian''s shoulder and wets his black jumper. The drenched part isn''t pleasant to say the least but ignores his discomfort as it''s not important right now.
"There, better?" Grian prods in a soft tone as a few sniffs can only be heard.
"Mhm." Scar hums as his head bobs in agreement.
"Can you tell us why you resorted to drinking despite expressing your hate of them, Grian?" Mumbo''s hushed voice probes just out of view.
"There''s no escaping this, is there?" Grian sighs as he bows his head, feeling Scar''s arms letting go of him, making it a cue to let go as well whilst stepping back to provide personal space.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
"Well, I''ve been remembering this former friend of mine back in high school who..." He swallows the lump in his throat, ignoring how his voice is starting to waver. "...kept on hurting me in more ways than one. Mostly he would resort to threatening me with a knife and gaslighting me, so I would constantly doubt my own self." He shudders as he bites his lower lip to ground himself with the pain.
"I only managed to escape during graduation. I never attended the ceremony and decided to book it, leaving the planet with the help of my years'' worth of savings." Grian blinks the blurriness away but to no avail, so he vigorously uses his wool sleeves to wipe the tears instead as he bites back the urge to sob.
"Uh, so... Can I ask why you''re p-pleading for me not to h-hurt you, though? Was I- D-Did you always thought that I would l-lay a hand on you?" Scar''s voice is so small Grian can barely register it whilst hearing a few taps before they disappear as quickly as they came. "I''m sure that I didn''t mishear it." He bows his head whilst biting his lower lip.
Grian takes a deep breath in and exhales, bringing a hand to his mouth as his gag reflex reacts just by the image of Sam giving him that bread.
"Remember the cookie prank? You- That made me remember what my fri- a former classmate did to me and brought my paranoia of Sa- him back but it somehow triggered w-with you." Grian wavers as he can''t keep eye contact with Scar, his quivering body still afraid of what his friend might do to him if he let down his guard at any second. "I-It’s stupid, right?" He whimpers as he takes a step back and brings a free hand to hold his arm.
"You would never- I know that you''re not l-like him but my stupid brain just keeps on making things up. I should- I should be able to m-move on since it''s already been a decade, but he''s- I''m still afraid that Sam might c-come back to hurt me." He shrinks on himself as the tears he''s been holding back falls easily from his eyes like the blood he had spilled just because he was scared of disobeying him.
Grian snaps out of his trance when he feels something heavy wrapping around him like a snake, causing him to flinch violently but a dark soothing voice hums a tune that reminds him of a huge tree as its leaves dance gently with the breeze. The adrenaline that''s been running all around his vessels finally dies down for him to be able to breathe in ease again, seeing that Scar has been embracing him between his arms and providing him warmth that he''s never experienced all those years ago.
"I''m probably a hypocrite for saying this, but it''s not stupid to be affected by your own trauma. You may treat it as insignificant and brush it aside, but you don''t have to shoulder everything yourself. You may not realise this but there''s at least one person out there who will care for your wellbeing, so I would like for you to remember that." Scar reassures as he rubs soothing circles around Grian''s back.
"Instead of keeping it all inside like you always did before, why don''t you start healing by asking your friends for help? Ask me for help. How does that sound?" He finishes as he places both of his hands on Grian''s shoulders and smiles gently, emerald eyes shimmer under the dim light.
"I think... It sounds wonderful. Thanks, Scar." Grian sniffs as he cracks a small smile in return. "I did not expect you to say that of all people, though." He smirks as he nudges his elbow playfully on Scar''s side.
"Hey! What does that mean? I can be wise even with my charming quirk, mister." Scar gasps in an exaggerated manner as he points a finger towards Grian dramatically.
"Does that quirk involve losing your stuff every five seconds?" Grian snorts as he crosses his arms.
"I..." Scar''s mouth gapes as he stops himself for a second. "I shouldn''t have worried about you. I hate you so much." He deadpans.
"I love you, too, buddy." Grian coos.
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"Wait, where did Mumbo go?"
"Ah."
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The snow falls slowly but surely from the night sky as the dark streets are illuminated by various lights, twinkling with different colors as the Hermits gathered by the biggest and brightest Christmas tree (courtesy of Scar—him and his obsession with trees) anyone has ever seen. Just like the decorations, Grian and the others gather with their warm and unique winter attires, both to protect themselves from the cold and to dress for the merry occasion.
Grian places his own present under the grand tree together with everyone else''s, joining his friends with the jolly spirit as the festivities begin. Of course, it won''t be a Hermit thing to do without chaos spicing things up. It all started with Mumbo''s snowplow contraption, which removes snow more efficiently, to explode a few metres away from everyone.
Just when the Hermits thought it''s all over, the contraption is set on fire and explodes again, with its parts flying everywhere like projectiles as they hit one of the tables filled with food, some of the decorations, some of the shops, the Christmas tree, and Bdubs, setting their targets on fire in an instant (in Bdubs'' case, it was his mossy cloak who took the hit and the owner immediately removed the attire with a yelp before it completely burned into dust).
After cleaning up the mess and a scolding session from Doc (with Mumbo the only one on the receiving end), Grian and the other Hermits laugh it off before continuing with the event by enjoying the feast. Luckily, only one of the three tables got affected so that''s a plus, at least in Grian''s book but he thinks that his friends are fine with it as well.
Secret Santa is finally around the corner, so every Hermit fetches their presents and gives them to their recipients one at a time to avoid traffic. Various emotions erupt like outbursts of laughter, never-ending glee, and nonstop screaming mixing altogether after opening their outrageous, funny, and amazing presents.
When Scar opens Grian''s present, he''s greeted with a Shulker box filled with magenta glazed terracotta and soon after he screams on top of his lungs, causing Grian to burst in a high-pitched cackle as he has to plant his hands on his knees to keep his balance.
"Why did you give me this?!" Scar exclaims as he slams the Shulker box shut.
"That''s payback from last time! Don''t think that you can get away from me that easily!" Grian declares in a singsong voice as he points a finger to Scar and grins ear to ear.
"Oh, no! These blocks are so terrible! Why do these exist in the first place?" Scar cries in a high-pitched tone.
"It''s so worth it smelting all those stained terracotta and trading with the Mason villagers for a couple of days!"
Scar continues to whine as Grian and the other Hermits laugh along. It''s really fun and all if that''s all he gave his friend but in the end, he reveals another box that he''s hidden in his Inventory Bag and gives the real present to Scar. After opening it, Scar doesn''t hesitate to jump and hugs him in gratitude.
This has got to be Grian''s best Christmas ever. As long as he gets to spend it with the Hermits and his beloved friends, every event is always the best no matter what.
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Grian jolts awake at another nightmare, filling the cold night air with harsh breaths as he gasps whilst sitting up on his bed, alone. He doesn''t waste any second to leave and flies towards the treehouse he''s been visiting lately whenever this happens. He lands right in front of the entrance and knocks softly on autopilot, perking up when he hears "I''m coming!" from the inside before the door swings open inwards to see Scar with a bedhead in his T-shirt and pyjamas, smiling towards Grian in greeting.
Scar escorts him inside and the atmosphere of the tree calms his raging heart in seconds.
"Can''t sleep because of a nightmare, G-man?" Scar guesses.
"I don''t wanna sleep alone in Dwayne right now." Grian presses his lips as he sits at the edge of Scar''s bed, with Scar unrolling a thin mattress on the floor beside the bed and drops a spare pillow on top of it.
Grian begins to head towards the mattress but Scar stands in front of him, stopping him in his tracks.
"No, no. You stay there, mister. I''ll be taking the floor, thank you very much." Scar shakes his head as he smirks.
"But—"
"Not buts."
"I keep on letting you sleep on the floor when this is your house." Grian reasons as he walks to the side but Scar steps sideways to block his path.
"So? There''s nothing wrong with that." Scar shrugs.
"Sca—"
"Nope."
"You—"
"I insist."
"But—"
"You really like butts, don''t you?" Scar huffs.
"Fine. I''ll take the bed." Grian sighs in defeat as he turns to settle back on the bed.
"Yes!" Scar whispers under his breath in triumph as he plops down on the thin mattress. "Oh, yeah. I almost forgot."
Grian turns his body to the side and faces Scar as he tilts his head in wonder.
"Who''s Dwayne?" Scar furrows his brows and chuckles in confusion.
"It''s, uh, my rock. The floating rocks mega build." Grian replies as his shoulders slump at the question.
"That''s what you called your rock?" Scar snickers, causing Grian to chuckle as he sways his body sideways playfully.
Minutes that feel like hours of comfortable silence later, Grian finally decides to drop on the bed and lie with his back (the discomfort of his wings is still bothering him despite after starting to get used to it), staring at the spore blossom hanging by the ceiling at the staircase as his gaze follows at the falling green particles.
"Can you sing, Scar?" Grian blurts, eyes widen in realisation but doesn''t do anything to take it back.
"I am not much of a singer, but I will try my very best to deliver the most amazing lullaby you''ll ever hear." Scar clears his throat from beside Grian as he closes his eyes.
I never thought hyenas essential
They''re crude and unspeakably plain
Grian opens one eye in confusion as he continues to listen to the song. Maybe it''s about to change vibes later?
But maybe they''ve a glimmer of potential
If allied to my vision and brain
Nope. Not at all. In fact, it''s getting more menacing.
Grian turns to his side and faces Scar with an arched brow, only for Scar to continue singing with a cheeky grin.
I know that your powers of retention
Are as wet as a warthog''s backside
"What the heck are you singing, Scar?" Grian laughs quietly.
But thick as you are, pay attention
"What do you mean? It''s one of the few songs I memorised. Great, isn''t it?" Scar replies confidently as he chuckles, making Grian laugh louder as he covers his face with both hands.
My words are a matter of pride
It''s clear from your vacant expressions
"Oh, my goodness." Grian wipes a tear with a finger as he sighs in relief. "How about singing a different song? It doesn''t feel soothing at all. In fact, it''s the exact opposite." He complains as he fondly shakes his head.
"You''re a one, needy customer, aren''t you?" Scar snickers. "Fine, if you insist. I''m only doing this because I love you, otherwise I would''ve kicked you out." He jokes before clearing his throat.
All those days watching from the windows
All those years outside looking in
All that time never even knowing
Just how blind I''ve been
A memory flashes as young Grian peeked out from his embraced knees to look at the crescent moon by the window, asking himself what went wrong for him to be punished like this as he ducked again to muffled his sobs from Sam.
Now I''m here blinking in the starlight
Now I''m here suddenly I see
Standing here it''s all so clear
I''m where I''m meant to be
Grian hovered his arm in front of him to shield his eyes from the sun shining brightly above him, perking up from a familiar voice calling out his name. Once he turned, he could see Mumbo waving his hand widely above his head along with many unfamiliar but kind faces welcoming him, smiling softly as he ran towards their direction whilst thanking the people who helped him get this far. A chance to live a happy life with friends who would actually care and not hurt him for their own sick entertainment.
And at last I see the light
And it''s like the fog has lifted
Grian swung his arms around Mumbo and Scar''s shoulders with a toothy grin as they looked at the scenery of the jungle around them.
And at last I see the light
And it''s like the sky is new
And it''s warm and real and bright
Grian giggled as he and the other Boatem members bounced from one place to another whilst sitting on a minecart from the fact that Mumbo got fired from his CEO position because of the same robot he created.
And the world has somehow shifted
All at once everything looks different
Grian wiped the sweat off his forehead as he walked towards the venue where he had to drop the Shulker box filled with eggs, snapping his head up to see Scar, Mumbo, and the other Hermits greeting him whilst holding their own Shulkers. He huffed and caught up to them, soon after everyone was telling stories of how much fun they had when they searched every nook and cranny of their houses for the eggs.
Now that I see you
Grian can feel a calloused hand gently brushing his hair away from his face, humming in satisfaction. Finally, he flutters his eyelids closed, mind drifting towards the realm of sleep as he feels at peace once more.